Vol. LXXXIV No. 5 Omaha, NE
Celebrating 83 Years of Service to Nebraska and Western Iowa
Federation Honors Young Leadership Award Winners at YJO Event by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director Katherine Finnegan and David Kohll will be honored as the next generation of leaders in the Omaha Jewish community. The two will receive the Federation’s Young Leadership Awards on Thursday, Thursday, Oct. 28, during a Young Jewish Omaha (YJO) event featuring comedian Joel Chasnoff. The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at Ironwood Country Club and is free and open to members of the Jewish community between the ages of 25-45. Finnegan will be presented Katherine Finnegan the Lois Jeanne Schrager Memorial Young Leadership Award and Kohll will receive the Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award. Finnegan has transformed herself from dedicated volunteer to extraordinary leader. Over the past year, she has worked her way up through the volunteer ranks and now holds several important positions of leadership in the Omaha Jewish community. Finnegan believes that change comes from within, and her leadership positions reflect that philosophy. Her commitment to Jewish youth is demonstrated by her work as a Hebrew school teacher at Temple Israel, where she also participated in the Religious School Partnership Committee. Finnegan’s other work with young people includes volunteering as Youth Leadership chaperone for the Anti-Defamation League’s Washington Mission 2004 and facilitating ADL’s Prejudice Elimination Workshop for area high school students in 2003. Finnegan recently completed the Jewish Omaha Leadership Training II (JOLT) leadership development course, one of just 25 people chosen as up-coming community leadership by local agencies, Jewish organizations and the synagogues. Her passion for the Omaha Jewish community continues to grow. Finnegan’s concern for our communi-
ty’s future motivated her to focus her energy and talents on projects that can impact the community’s direction and vision. Some of the most important and impressive leadership roles Finnegan has accepted include serving on the Federation’s Budget and Allocations Committee since 2001 where she accepted the Sub-Committee Chairmanship for the Jewish Federation since 2003. Most recently, Finnegan has taken on a key leadership position as a member of the lay advisory committee for Jewish Educational and Library Services (JELS). David Kohll Continued on page 2
by PAM MONSKY Federation Communications Director Maxine Kirshenbaum will receive the newly established Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award at United Jewish Community’s 2004 International Lion of Judah Conference Oct. 17-19 in Washington, D.C. The KipnisWilson/Friedland Award was established in honor of Norma KipnisWilson and Toby Friedland, founders of the Lion of Judah Campaign initiative for women who contribute $5,000 or more to the Annual Campaign. Kirshenbaum was nominated for this prestigious honor by the Jewish Federation of Omaha in recognition of over 40 years of extraordinary volunteer service. Currently, she is in her second year of a two-year commitment as Co-Chairman of the Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign, sharing the helm with her husband, Joe.
by JOAN K. MARCUS education was important Henry Riekes, a man to him, he was always a who said that supporting strong supporter of the the Omaha Jewish comFriedel Jewish Academy, munity was a responsibilthe former United Talmud ity and not an obligation, Torah of Omaha and the died Monday at the age Melton programs. of 90. Services were held Riekes was born and Oct. 6 at Beth El raised in Omaha. His parSynagogue, with burial at ents left Russia at the turn Beth El Cemetery. of the century and came Riekes was always to the United States with reluctant to talk about his their four children. They contributions; he said he had four more after arrivwas just doing what his ing in Omaha and Henry Henry Riekes parents, Samuel and said his parents taught Dora Riekes, would have expected him their children to be charitable. to do. In 1990, the JEwish Federation “It was a way of life for my parents to honored him and his wife Dorothy with be community conscious and that is why the Humanitarian of the Year Award. I have done it,” he insisted in a March In 1975, the couple established an 26, 1999, article in the Press. Riekes was endowment fund to aid Judaic and chari- a contributor to the Jewish Federation table purposes and responsibilities for the for more than seven decades. He and his welfare of Jewish people in Omaha, Israel family are longtime members of Beth El. and throughout the world. Since Jewish Continued on page 15
by BETH COHEN Executive Director of Beth Israel With much anticipation, on the 22nd of Shevat, 5764, (Feb. 14)--exactly 50 years to the day after the dedication of the plaque honoring the committee who built the 52nd Street building--Beth Israel congregants opened the Torah to read Parashat Yitro at the first Shabbat morning services in our new synagogue building. Following this “soft opening” in February, work on completing the art installations, landscaping and other details at the building on 126th and Pacific Streets progressed throughout the summer.
The sanctuary of Beth Israel’s new synagogue. At “An Evening of Celebration” on Sunday, Oct. 31, the members of Beth Israel will join with the entire Jewish community to formally dedicate this beautiful new building. In addition, the investiture of Rabbi Jonathan Gross as the congregation’s spiritual leader will take place. The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with the dedication ceremony in the sanctuary, followed by an hors d’oeuvres reception. After the reception, those who have made reservations will enjoy a gala dinner at 6:30 p.m., where Rabbi Gross will be installed as Beth Israel’s rabbi. The investiture ceremony will be led by Rabbi Steven Weil, senior rabbi at Beth Jacob in Los Angeles, CA, Continued on page 8
Five-Star Shabbaton at TLC by ARIELLA HOFFMAN assimilated backgrounds for the Torah Learning Center gave him the knowledge Rabbi Yaacov Marcus, that would guide him to who packed the Torah becoming one of the most Learning Center last June dynamic and sought after with his explanation of the speakers in the English mystical Hebrew alphabet, speaking community in will be returning again for Israel. He is a member of another inspiring Shabbaton the rabbinical faculty of the on Oct. 15-16. Neve Yerushalayim College “The response to the last for women in addition to Shabbaton was so phenomteaching at two other semiRabbi Yaacov Marcus enal we couldn’t resist naries for women: Darchey bringing him back again,” said Rabbi Bina and Afikey Torah. Tuvia Hoffman, Director of TLC. Rabbi Marcus teaches in Arachim, a proThe last Shabbaton focused on the gram created to provide an intellectual shape of the Hebrew alphabet to learn response to the thirst of a growing secular the purpose of Creation, the meaning of Israeli public who were seeking to underlife, the meaning of Shabbat, and much stand the basic philosophical concepts of more. Many of the people were amazed Judaism. Arachim addresses basic issues by how something as basic as the in Jewish philosophy including: “Science Hebrew alphabet could give insight into and Religion--Is there an internal contrathe purpose of life. diction?”, “The authenticity of the Bible”, Before making aliyah to Israel, Rabbi “Practical Mitzvot--are they relevant in Marcus and his wife organized and ran modern society?” and more. an outreach synagogue in a secular More than ever before, Jews are asking Jewish suburb of Toronto. The experi- themselves: what does it all mean? How ence of working with families from Continued on page 2
This Week: Crossword Puzzle: Israel’s Colors: Page 9 Leon Wieseltier Speaks in Omaha, Lincoln This Week: Page 3
Beth Israel Celebrates
Kirshenbaum Receives National Honor for Philanthropy and Volunteerism
Community Suffers Loss with Death of Henry Riekes
Inside
23 Tishrei, 5765 October 8, 2004
Chabad Introduces Kabbalah to Cummunity: Page 4
Coming: Salute to Education and Camping: Oct. 22 Exhibit on Jews in Recife Opens Celebration of American Jewry: Page 5
Sukkot Around the Heartland: Page 10
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
October 8, 2004
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FRIDAY, OCT 8 JCC OPEN/FEDERATION OFFICES CLOSED FOR SIMCHAT TORAH Scholar-in-Residence Al Vorspan, 7:30 p.m. at Temple Israel C SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 L I Scholar-in-Residence Al Vorspan, 10:30 a.m. at Temple Israel P
C L I P
Ma’agal Ha’rav with Al Vorspan (Gr. 7-12), 2:30 p.m. at Temple Israel &
&
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10 S A Scholar-in-Residence Al Vorspan, 10 a.m. at Temple Israel V E Mah Jongg Tournament, noon
S A V E
MZ Yoshanah Gallery Reception, 2 p.m. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11 ADL PEW Facilitator Training, 4:30 p.m. NCJW Book Club, 7 p.m. Jewish Press Committee Meeting, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12 BBYO Night, 6 p.m. B’nai B’rith Membership Appreciation Nite, 6 p.m. at DJ’s Dugout Executive Committee Meeting, 7 p.m. at Beth El C L I P & S A V E
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13 Rabbis & Presidents Meeting, noon Hadassah HMO Program, 7 p.m. Leon Wieseltier, 7 p.m. at Temple Israel Kabbalistic Journeys, 7 p.m. at Chabad House THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 Visions Mystery Trip, 9 a.m. Walk-in Drop-in, 10 a.m. Yiddish Group, 1 p.m. JFS “Becoming a Love and Logic Parent”, 6 p.m. “Live from the 92nd Street Y” features Elie Wiesel, 7 p.m.
Continued from page 1 Education and Identity Coalition, as well as Chairperson for the Yom HaShoah Community Holocaust Commemoration Service. Finnegan has also served on the ADL/CRC Board of Directors since 2003, where she holds the Education Chairmanship. Katherine and her husband David Gilinsky, recipient of the 2001 Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award, have three children, Molly 12, Laura 10, and Jack 8. David Kohll is the recipient of the Bruce Fellman Memorial Young Leadership Award. As the immediate Past-president of Beth Israel Synagogue, he relied on his qualities as a negotiator, problem solver and diplomat during a time of significant change for the congregation. Kohll provided leadership as congregants built and moved to their new synagogue. Soon after the move, Kohll’s leadership was again challenged when Rabbi Howard Kutner resigned to accept a position in Cleveland, OH. Kohll’s leadership played a key role in the congregation’s ability to conduct a successful search for a new rabbi. Kohll encouraged his committee leaders to be innovative, try new programs and take advantage of opportunities to educate members of both the secular and Jewish communities about Beth Israel. Under his’s direction, Beth Israel organized a Shabbat dinner with the Kabbalat Shabbat service advertised as a “Learner’s Shabbat” that featured prayers, songs and explanations of how a traditional Shabbat is celebrated. Kohll took the step of advertising the event in local newspapers. More than 70 people attended the program. As President, Kohll employed a vision that went beyond focusing only on the needs of Beth Israel. He ooked for ways Beth Israel could support the community and these opportunities often ended up benefiting everyone. David and his wife Janet have five children; Anna, 12, Sam, 10, Max, 4, Jack, 2 and Leo, 11 months. The Young Leadership Awards honor a young man and woman under the age of 45 who demonstrate leadership qualities in service to the Jewish and general community. A committee of past award winners selects recipients from nominations received from the Omaha Jewish community. For information about the YJO event featuring the comedy of Joel Chasnoff, contact Sharon Kirshenbaum, Leadership Director, 334.6485, or e-mail her at: skirshenbaum@jewishomaha.org.
MZ Girls to Exhibit Art in JCC Gallery by SARAH LONG Do you have a room in your house that just seems like there’s somthing missing? Well, the girls of MZ Yoshanah BBG may have just what you need! Whether it’s a decorative piece or something more useful--like an artistic lamp or painted stool, the MZ Art Sale offers something for every home. Lots of handcrafted items, decorated by the girls of MZ, will be for sale in the Art Gallery of the Jewish Community Center, this Sunday, Oct. 10, 2-4 p.m. Refreshments will be served and all the proceeds will benefit the programs of MZ, one of two girls’ chapters of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization. For more information, call BBYO Director Rachel Blum, at 334.6404.
C L I P & S A V E
All events held at the JCC unless otherwise indicated. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the accuracy of events. To keep calendar accurate or for questions, call Marlene Hert at 334-6437. FOR A COMPLETE LISTING, VISIT THE FEDERATION’S WEBSITE: www.JewishOmaha.org (click on calendar)
The MZ girls work on their crafts projects.
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CORRECTIONS In last week’s Jewish Press, a photo credit for Ophir Palmon’s picture of Cantor Bogomolni and “The Bocher Boys” was inadvertently omitted. In addition, the Jiffy corn muffin mix contains lard; please use a substitute.
Mysteries of the Zohar at Temple Israel by CLAUDIA SHERMAN Temple Israel Communications Coordinator Guy Matalon, Executive Director of Jewish Educational and Library Services (JELS), will teach a class, “Readings in the Zohar”, at Temple Israel this fall. The class is sponsored jointly by the Hermene Guy Matalon Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning and JELS. The six-week course, will be on Fridays, beginning Oct.15, noon-1 p.m. Using the new Pritzker edition of the Zohar (the Book of Radiance), Prof. Matalon, who is also the Judaic Studies instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), will explore the deeper meanings of the Torah. Composed in Northern Spain in the 13th century, the Zohar dwells on the mystery of creation and explains the stories and events in the Bible in a symbolic manner. Finding hidden meaning in common statements of facts, the Zohar contains stories and discourses by ancient masters, ethical pronouncements, and some moving prayers. “We will delve into and out of the labyrinth of Jewish mysticism,” Matalon said. “The course will explore the Zohar’s concept of creation, the divine, and the commandments.” A native of Jaffa, Israel, Matalon has lived in this country since 1981. A graduate of California State University, Northridge, he began his graduate work at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and then earned his M.A. in Medieval Jewish Thought at New York University’s (NYU) Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. Currently, Matalon is finishing his doctorate from NYU. His area of specialization is Medieval Jewish and Islamic Philosophy. He has also studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. At UNO, Matalon teaches “Introduction to World Religion”, “Judaic Tradition”, and “Hebrew Bible” among other courses. Fee for the class, which is open to the community, is $18. Contact Program Director Rosie Zweiback by email at rzweiback@templeisraelomaha.com or call her at 556-6536 to register.
Livingston Grants Due by Jewish Press News Service The semi-annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Milton S. and Corinne N. Livingston Foundation will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 20. Grant applications from area non-profit organizations are due Friday, Oct. 29 and may be sent to Myron Kaplan, Executive Director, Livingston Foundation, 11605 Miracle Hills Dr., Suite 300, Omaha, NE 58154. For more information, call the director at 492.9800.
Shabbaton at TLC Continued from page 1 do I fit in the world as a Jew, as a human? Is there a difference? What is the meaning of life? How do I achieve happiness? Why is there evil in the world? These are the types of questions that Rabbi Marcus deals with everyday. His wealth of knowledge and down to earth humor gives him the ability to cross all barriers and bring all the wealth of Jewish history and thought into simple terms that his students can understand. The Shabbaton includes: Friday night dinner, 6:30 p.m., Saturday lunch, 11:30 a.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m., three lectures, and lots of singing in a warm atmosphere. Cost for adults is: Friday night; $20; Saturday lunch; $18. For those attending both meals the cost is $36. For children, ages four-12, cost is $7.50 for dinner and $5 for lunch or $10 for both meals. Babysitting will be provided (free of charge) both days for parents who have little ones. Call 981.0569 to reserve by Oct.10.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The deadline for the Oct. 22 special issue on Education and Camping is Wednesday, Oct. 13. Photos from the New Year’s issue may be picked up in the Jewish Press office during regular business hours. Questions? Call 334.6448.
October 8, 2004
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
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Planning Festive Wolfson Weekend Kripke Lectures Features Editor of New Republic at Omaha, Lincoln Appearances at Beth El Is...“All Relative” by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator “Family planning” is taking on a different twist for the upcoming scholarin-residence weekend at Beth El Synagogue, featuring Dr. Ron Wolfson. A native Omahan and leading expert on family Jewish education, Dr. Wolfson, returns home Oct. 29-31 to kick off
young, there were 19 people at my Bubbie’s and Zadie’s table every Friday night. It had a lasting impact on us all and we carry the emotional warmth of that central experience with us wherever we go, whatever we do. “We grew up knowing that unconditional love of an extended family, connection to our broader Jewish heritage
Chairing the Dr. Ron Wolfson Scholar-in-Residence weekend at Beth El Synagogue, Oct. 2931, are his cousins Pam and Bruce Friedlander (in front), and his sister-in-law and brother, Sibby and Bob Wolfson. Beth El’s 75th anniversary celebration, and, adding a special touch, his brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Sibby Wolfson, and his cousins, Bruce and Pam Friedlander, will chair the weekend’s festivities. Planning this celebratory weekend is especially poignant for Wolfson’s relatives. “When we were young children, my family moved to a house close to the synagogue so we could walk there anytime we wanted,” Bob said. “Beth El was a central focus of our lives, and Ron was a leader from a young age in USY; he’s always had a deep interest in Jewish life. “We all love Beth El and love Ron and love Jewish life. This weekend will bring together so much of what my extended family cares about, and Ron’s a hometown boy coming home for the celebration!” his brother added. Dr. Wolfson, author of The Art of Jewish Living series and Dean of the Center for Jewish Education at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, is widely known for his inspirational and lively presentations. In fact, according to cousin Bruce, “he’s a cross between Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof and Alfred P. Doolittle from My Fair Lady; his delivery is Broadway-quality!” To experience his infectious enthusiasm, the entire community is invited to “Dr. Wolfson’s One-of-a-Kind TakeHome Shabbat Dinner,” a joy-filled Shabbat celebration on Friday, Oct. 29, following 6 p.m. services. During the dinner, Ron will help everyone “to refocus on what is really important--celebrating Shabbat with our families,” Bruce said, adding, “Ron’s love of Judaism was nurtured and cultivated at Beth El, and he’ll share his incredible spirituality with us during this wonderful weekend, as he does regularly with so many congregations all over the United States.” Family Shabbats were an integral part of life for the Wolfson/Paperny/Friedlander clan, Bob said. “When we were
and recognition that being together and living Jewishly was not just a synagogue experience.” On a lighter note, Bruce recalled “tons of food, a bragging family, a few tough words, some crying, lots of singing, performances and our Zadie telling all his grandchildren that they were the best in the United States!” Bob explained that during the upcoming Friday night Shabbat dinner, his brother will “impart the joy in family life, the centrality of family life and the role we all play in communicating and living that joy. The entire evening will be fun and full of warmth and passion. It will enable those who know the tradition to be re-energized, and for those who are less familiar, it will offer ways to make Shabbat dinner a central part of their Jewish joy.” During Shabbat, Dr. Wolfson will also present the D’var Torah addressing “The Future of Beth El” during Saturday, Oct. 30, Shabbat services, and will lead the blessings and singing during a festive kiddush luncheon following services. In addition, he will lead a retreat for Beth El board members following Havdalah, and present an “Art of Jewish Living” workshop on Sunday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. for community members. Cost of the Friday night Shabbat dinner is $15 for adults; $7.50 for children ages 6-12; no charge for children five and younger. Reservations are needed by Oct. 15 and may be made by sending a check to Beth El, 14506 California St., Omaha NE 68154. For more information, please contact Pam Friedlander at 334.8773. Everyone experiencing this memorable visit is sure to walk away with some meaningful Jewish wisdom, some innovative how-to’s, and the joy of Judaism. And the best part of planning this celebratory weekend for Bruce Friedlander? “We’ll see our grandparents smiling.”
by CHERYL KRUID of The New Republic Project Assistant since 1983 and is the Harris Center for Judaic Studies author of Nuclear War, Leon Wieseltier will speak Nuclear Peace, Against Identity. He writes on a on “Power and Virtue: wide range of cultural American Foreign Policy in and political topics, the Middle East after Sept. including relations 11” on Tuesday, Oct. 12, between religion and the 3:30 p.m. at the Lied Center state, contemporary for Performing Arts, 12th & Middle East politics, R Streets in Lincoln, for the aspects of Jewish history annual Kripke Lecture and culture. He has Series. played a very important The events are sponsored Leon Wieseltier part in shaping many by the Norman and Bernice Harris Center for Judaic Studies, public and intellectual discussions in University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the America and abroad. Wieseltier’s writing, often savagely E.N. Thompson Forum On World Issues. His talk, “The Silence in American- effective dressings-down of intellectual Jewish Culture: Unhappy Reflections on fads and professorial poseurs, appears Jewish Literacy” on Wednesday, Oct. frequently in the magazine both in 13, 7:30 p.m., will be held at the Jewish signed and unsigned forms. His best Community Center. Both events are free known book, Kaddish, won the National Book Award. and open to the public. For more information, contact me at Leon Wieseltier was born in Brooklyn, New York, and studied philosophy at the UNL Harris Center for Judaic Studies, Columbia, Harvard and Oxford 402.472.2070/472.9561 or via e-mail at: Universities. He has been literary editor ckruid@unlnotes.unl.edu.
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October 8, 2004
Why Am I Here? Chabad Introduces Kabbalah to Community by SANDRA MARTIN for Chabad of Nebraska What happens to our souls when we die? Why does evil exist? Does everything happen according to some great cosmic plan, or randomly, as it often seems? These were just a few of the questions that had plagued me for years, and led me one evening last spring to attend a lecture on the Kabbalah. I knew very little about the Kabbalah, only that it was some sort of ancient Jewish mysticism shrouded in secrecy. I was intrigued, and wanted to learn more. Obviously, I was not the only one who felt this way, for the main room of the Chabad House on the night of the lecture was filled to capacity, with the overflow crowd lining the walls. The guest speaker was Rabbi Manis Friedman, who proved to be fascinating, knowledgeable, and thoroughly entertaining, and held the group in rapt attention throughout his presentation and the lively question-and-answer session that followed. That introduction to the Kabbalah just whetted my appetite. So I was, of course, delighted to learn that Rabbi Mendel Katzman of the Chabad House would soon be teaching a six-week course. As I read the subjects to be covered in the course, I was excited. Finally, here was something that could not only answer my questions, but also offer support and guidance in the basic areas of my life. Our first class was an interesting mix of about 10 people, mostly women and
mostly (but not all) Jewish, of various d for a purpose, and our ages and backgrounds and, among those job, while in this lifetime Jewish, a mixture of Reform, (we have many) is to fulConservative, Orthodox and Hasidic. fill our mission, to perWe began, logically enough, at the form mitzvot for others, beginning…learning first what the and to choose righteousKabbalah actually is: the oral laws of the ness over evil (which is Torah, which are G-d’s rules for why evil was created, so mankind, given directly by G-d to Moses we have a choice). on Mt. Sinai some 3,000 years ago. The And I found something Kabbalah has been called “the soul of else. For the first time, my the Torah,” and over the years, has been Jewish roots became siginterpreted and written down into two nificant. The prayers I holy books: The Zohar, written in the heard and recited all my 1500’s, and Tanya, written about 200 life, without much years later. thought, suddenly took Our classes were fascinating. I found, on a new meaning. as we progressed through the course, Through Kabbalah, I was that the questions I had held for so long discovering their source, Rabbi Mendel Katzman, Director of Chabad of Nebraska, were being answered, or at least were and now they made teaches Kabbalah to a group of students. taking on new significance. Everything sense to me. had so much meaning! And every initial It would be easy to be intimidated by you know you don’t know, that you start meaning seemed to lead to another the Kabbalah, to assume that it is too big, to learn.” With all due respect to Madonna, and deeper, core meaning inside…much like too complex, and too difficult to learn. peeling back the layers of an onion. Orthodox Jews, in fact, believe you in spite of the fact that studying Though the Kabbalah isn’t easy, it is shouldn’t even begin to study the Kabbalah is very trendy now, this course simple. I found, if I dug deep enough Kabbalah until the age of 40, after you at the Chabad House is the real deal. A fellow student asked me one night through the layers, I could usually grasp have studied the Torah. at least the essence of what was being Although the material we study is seri- what had led me to the class. I immeditaught. And ous, Rabbi ately said, “My soul.” You don’t have to Kabbalistic Journeys the essence K a t z m a n ’ s know a lot (or anything) about Jewish of the of history, you don’t have to have achieved Wednesday evenings, Oct. 13, 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10, 24, style Kabbalah, the Dec. 1: 7-8:30 p.m., taught by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. teaching is any specific educational level, you don’t laws of G-d Cost is $36. To register or for information, call 330.1800 gentle. I dis- even have to be Jewish. The only and the ways covered this requirement, in my opinion, is to have a they apply to one’s life, are simple and early when the rabbi asked me to deep curiosity about the creation of the straightforward. answer a question in class. “Don’t be world and about your place in it. And Each and every living thing (including ashamed of not knowing,” he said. “It’s now that I know how much I don’t a blade of grass) has been created by G- only when you reach the point where know, I am continuing to learn.
LIVESatelliteBroadcast jewish community center theater
ElieWiesel American Jewry at 350: A Vision for the Future In 1654, several dozen Jews began the first Jewish community in the New World. We have come a long way since then. The next decades may be the most crucial in determining our survival in this unique Diaspora. Our era's greatest moral voice offers his hopes and vision for the coming decades. Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968. Author of more than forty internationally acclaimed works of fiction and non-fiction, Professor Wiesel is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Humanities and University Professor at Boston University.
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Order tickets by calling JCC Member Services at 334-6426. For any additional information, contact Rachel Blum at 334-6404.
Co-sponsored by Jewish Educational and Library Services (JELS)
October 8, 2004
Exhibit on Jews in Brazilian City Opens Celebration of American Jewry before had enjoyed strong commercial ties with Dutch entrepreneurs. The community eventually grew to 600 families led by Rabbi Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, who was sent by the Amsterdam Congregation. Jews flourished in the sugar industry and were slave owners. But with the decline of Dutch rule in 1654 and the reinstatement of the Portuguese regime, Recife’s Jews by LARRY LUXNER RECIFE, Brazil (JTA)--Dr. Boris Berenstein has were forced to leave. Some of them did, sailing off to retraced a route taken 350 years ago by other Jews the Caribbean or North America, though most of them stayed, undergoing public conversion to Christianity from this Brazilian port city. Berenstein, President of the Federacao Israelita de while continuing to practice Judaism in secret. “These people mixed with the local population and Pernambuco in Brazil, traveled to New York for an exhibit opening last month that sheds light on the sometimes went into hiding, because if the Inquisition largely unknown history of Jewish life in Recife and found them, they would be sent to Lisbon and burned marks the launch of a yearlong celebration of 350 years alive,” she said. Yiddishkeit in Recife remained dormant until right of American Jewish life. Exhibits, lectures and concerts throughout the year after World War I, when large numbers of Eastern will focus on the Jewish experience in North America. European Jews began arriving as immigrants. It was from Recife on Sept. 7, 1654, that a group of Today, Recife has about as many Jews as it did in 1654. “We’re a small community, but today’s Jews are not 23 Dutch-speaking Sephardim set sail for New Amsterdam in a desperate effort to escape the descended from the Sephardim who were here in the Inquisition imposed by Portugal, which had defeated 1600s,” said Berenstein, a radiologist. “My family, for instance, was from Romania. They survived the Shoah Holland for control of Brazil. Shortly after arriving, these 23 immigrants--the first and came to Brazil in 1948.” Berenstein, interviewed on the balcony of his lavish Jews to land on American shores--established Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New Amsterdam, the ocean-front condominium over coffee and glasses of local mangaba juice, said colony that eventually half of Recife’s 400 Jewish became New York. families reside in the “Our community wants upscale district of Boa to show the world that Viagem; the other half live we were an important downtown, in the area chapter in Jewish histoaround Kahal Zur Israel. ry,” Berenstein said. But Recife’s Jewish “They’re celebrating 350 population has stagnated years of Jews in the because of its geographic and United States, but economic limitations. The nobody’s made any refernearest communities are in ence to Recife until now, Salvador, home to 500 Jews, and that’s only because Fortaleza, 120 Jews, and Natal, of the anniversary.” 40 Jews. Recife is some 1,200 As part of that celebration, Recife Jews have The exterior of Recife, Brazil’s Kahal Zur Israel, the oldest syn- miles from Sao Paulo, the cenCredit: Larry Luxner/JTA ter of Jewish life in Brazil. put together the exhibi- agogue in the Americas. “The Jews here are fairly well-off, though most of my tion “Pernambuco: Gateway to New York,” which features, among other things, a multimedia and 3-D virtu- Jewish friends went to Sao Paulo and never came back, al tour of the recently restored Kahal Zur Israel because in Sao Paulo there are more opportunities to make money,” he said. Synagogue in downtown Recife. Recife maintains an 85-year-old Jewish school, the The exhibit opened last month at the Center for Jewish History in New York City. After it completes its Colegio Israelita Moises Schwartz, which currently has run there on Dec. 31, it will travel to Canada and Los 150 students but faces serious financial problems Angeles. Another exhibit, “From Haven to Home: A despite the local Jewish community’s relative wealth. “The school is going through a difficult time, and it’s Library of Congress Exhibition Marking 350 Years of Jewish Life in America,” opened at the Library of about to close because a lot of the Jews aren’t sending their kids there anymore,” said Recife businessman Alan Congress in Washington. Two years ago, Kahal Zur Israel was opened to the Rabinovici. “One of the biggest reasons for that is intergeneral public as a museum and documentation center, marriage. Since one of the parents is not Jewish, they tend following a $500,000 restoration project funded by the to send their children to non-Jewish schools instead.” Rabinovici is President of Blue Brazil, a local tour Sao Paulo-based Safra Foundation and the state govoperator that’s pushing Jewish-themed travel packages ernment of Pernambuco. In a touch of irony, the historic shul is located on Rua to prospective American visitors. On Nov. 6, Varig do Bom Jesus, or Street of the Good Jesus, in the heart of Airlines--in tandem with Blue Brazil--will launch weekRecife’s port area. The building housing Kahal Zur Israel ly nonstop flights between New York’s JFK and Natal, had been demolished at the beginning of the 20th centu- making the whole region more accessible to U.S. ry, replaced by a bank and later by an electronics shop. tourists than before. Kaufman said in 2001, she introduced a social-studies Subsequent excavations revealed eight different floor levels, the foundations of the synagogue and the remains of course at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco titled “Judaism: Culture or Religion.” This year, she has a mikvah used in purification rituals. Visitors, each paying the equivalent of 60 cents, enter 33 students, with more signing up every semester. Her the building from the street. They can view the mikvah team has also begun a study on crypto-Jews in the serand original pavement stones through glass panels on tao, as northeastern Brazil’s hardscrabble rural inland the floor, as they make their way to the building’s inte- region is known. She has interviewed 50 to 60 people rior. On upper floors, explanatory panels in Portuguese on the subject. “Some want to return to Judaism, but without being and English tell the history of Recife’s Jews. The highlight of the restored synagogue is the bimah, converted, while others want to go through the process of conversion,” she said. “Everything is informal. Many or dais, for Torah readings and the Holy Ark. Behind the scenes, half a dozen archivists and of them don’t even know they’re Jewish.” Recently, about 15 such people were converted by a researchers work at computer stations under the direction of Tania Kaufman, the director general of the Arquivo Reform rabbi from Belo Horizonte, capital of the Historico Judaico de Pernambuco, a non-profit group Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Rabbi Alexander Mizrahi is spiritual leader of the local whose employees include both Jews and non-Jews. “This is part of a larger project to fill in the historical Bet Habad, which also happens to be Recife’s only funcgaps of the Jewish presence in Pernambuco,” Kaufman tioning synagogue. He agreed that there’s been enormous told JTA. “We cover the history of the Sephardim since interest among Brazilians in their supposed Jewish roots-the 16th century and Portuguese Jews coming from especially since the restoration of Kahal Zur Israel and the Amsterdam in the 17th century, until the present time.” favorable local publicity it has generated. “Many Brazilians come here asking about conversion, Kaufman said that between 1637 and 1644, Jews enjoyed complete religious freedom under the reign of but most of them are not serious. The majority have certhe local Dutch administrator, Joao Mauricio de Nassau. tain interests, like jobs, or because they want to marry a These new arrivals also came for economic reasons, as Jewish girl,” said Mizrahi. “People who are really serious Portuguese Jews who had settled in Amsterdam years about Judaism nowadays must go to Israel or the states.’’
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October 8, 2004
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Interested in Learning Hebrew? Then Beth El’s Hebrew Crash Course is for You! by JILL BELMONT class, and I wanted to show people that Beth El Publicity Coordinator they could learn to read and it wouldn’t Are you interested in learning basic take 100 years,” she said. “Learning Hebrew in a fun, innovative way? If so, Hebrew is not easy, but it is not imposyou’re in luck: Beth El teacher Susi sible. If generations of Jews were able to Frydman-Levin is planning to reprise her do it, you can do it as well!” popular “Hebrew Crash Course” this fall Noting that recent “Crash Course” on Sundays from 11 a.m.-noon at the graduates are now able to able to join synagogue (starting date has not yet in during Shabbat services and read been determined). Hebrew along with their children and Open to community members of all grandchildren, Frydman-Levin encourages, this course serves as a wonderful aged others to register for this class, sayintroduction to the Hebrew language ing, “this goes beyond just reading. By and is a marvelous vehicle for those who would like to be able to follow the Siddur during services, take an aliyah or participate in family simchas, such as their children’s or grandchildren’s B’nai Mitzvah. Frydman-Levin originally decided to offer the crash course after realizing that congregants unfamiliar with the language couldn’t join in during services, mainly conduct- Flanked by last spring's Hebrew Crash Course students, ed in Hebrew. As new teacher Susi Frydman-Levin (standing in center) looks forward melodies were introduced to offering the popular class again this fall. into the service, many could not follow learning Hebrew, you can go inside along, unable to rely on familiar tunes. Jewish life, and not be dependent only Thinking that just a handful would upon transliteration.” sign up for the course, she was stunned Those interested in attending are after receiving 30 reservations. encouraged to contact Beth El Program “There was obviously a need for this Director Harriet Einziger at 492.8550.
Speakers to Focus on Hadassah Medical Center, Nobel Laureate by LESLI SHRAGO for the Omaha Chapter of Hadassah Jaine Evnen Graham visited Israel for the first time in 1973 as a participant in the Ramah program. She intended to return to Israel to work once she completed her nursing degree, but her marriage to her husband, Mark, and the subsequent births of their three children changed her plans. In April 2004, Evnen Graham, currently the Director of Education and Telehealth Services at Bryan LGH Medical Center in Lincoln and a member of the Lincoln Chapter of Hadassah, again visited Israel--including Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. On Wednesday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m., in the JCC Auditorium, she will present a Jewish American nurse’s perspective of Hadassah’s philosophy and methods of treating trauma victims and the cumulative effect that terrorism has had on the mental health of its medical and support staff. The annual donor event in support of Hadassah Medical Organization will include a dessert reception. Evnen Graham, whose father founded Lincoln Poultry, grew up in Lincoln and has lived there most of her life, except for a brief stay in Omaha when her children attended preschool at the JCC. She herself is new to Hadassah, but her grandmother was an active member for many years. A longtime member of Tifereth Israel’s Board of Directors and School Board, she also chairs the Youth Campship and Scholarship Committee of the Lincoln Jewish Federation. Her nursing career has focused on trauma, surgery and critical care. She is currently working to establish a telemedicine network with rural Nebraska hospitals to deliver telecardiology, endocrinology and mental health services and has presented nationally on topics including Critical Care Thinking in Nursing, Employee Retention and
Establishing a Hostile-Free Workplace. “Hadassah is an interesting place,” Evnen Graham said. “It is, in fact, its own neutral ground in that all patients and families, Jewish or Arab, are treated with the same standard of high quality medical care and respect. As a nurse, I found this fascinating and took the opportunity to explore the dynamics and implications of this philosophy of care. “I also learned about community support programs that focus on the impact that terrorism has had on Israeli citizens as well as caregivers,” she added. “I feel privileged to have the opportunity to share information and some fantastic, unusual pictures with this group.” Rivkah Sass, a member of the Omaha Chapter of Hadassah, will introduce attendees to Yiddish author Isaac Bashevis Singer, who won the 1978 Nobel Prize for Literature. Sass points out that the Omaha Public Library, of which she is the Executive Director, was founded in 1877--27 years before Singer’s birth in 1904--and one year before the founding of Creighton University, making it the oldest educational/cultural institution in Omaha. Under Sass’ innovative leadership, several events commemorating the 100th anniversary of Singer’s birth have already been held including one that featured klezmer music. Sass and her husband are recent transplants to Omaha. She previously worked for public and state libraries in Washington, Maryland and Oregon. The cost to attend is $5; an additional donation for the HMO (payable to the Omaha Chapter of Hadassah) is requested. To reserve or to make a donation, call Julie Stein at 496.9964. Rides can be arranged by calling Michelle Perrin at 391.6936. If unable to attend, donations can be mailed to Stein, 5264 No. 110 Circle, Omaha, NE 68164.
October 8, 2004
Temple Integrates ‘Formal, Informal’ Ed by ELYCE AZRIEL Director Middle/High School Temple Israel Temple Israel has newly created an umbrella youth community so that teens would be encouraged to move comfortably between educational social activities. For teenagers’ there has been a wall separating their Hebrew school and youth group experience. We need to make Judaism for our students an all embracing experience. Three out of our year long sessions for the Middle and High School youth will be devoted solely to “Rush”--getting the students involved in youth activities. In addition to the “Rush”, there will be a weekly presence at the “Membership Table” as the students walk into the building on Wednesday evening. The blending of the social and academic worlds models how Judaism can be an integrated way of life. Social programming warms up their heads and hearts so they will be open to learning more about Judaism. “Parental support may get kids to go to school or a social event but the ones who continue develop a peer network,” added Lynne Jensen, Temple’s Director of Youth and Informal Education.
by BERT LEWIS
Sarah Spooner, left, Caroline Terry, Jake Bleicher (President of OTYG), Justin Slutsky, and Josh Finnicum.
New Russian Language Website to Aid Russian-Speakers New to Voting Process by MARINA BELOTSERKOVSKY New York City--A new Russian-language website on America’s voting process has just been launched in time for the November elections. Accessible at www.wevote.us, the website is part of the Civic and Voter Education Initiative, a program designed to fully engage Russian-speaking Americans
with the American political process. The website is a joint collaboration of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and the World Congress of Russian Jewry. Created due to the great need for this information from all across the country, the website was designed to provide all the basic information a new voter needs in one easy location.
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Solving the World’s Problems Over Lunch
BERT’S EYE VIEW
The first night of Temple Israel Middle/High School Rush Program at Boulder Creek Golf: Becki Frishman, left, Amanda Bucher, Andrea Holmberg, and Amy Levinger.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
I don’t know when the custom first began, although it might have been back with the cave men, but the practice of combining a meal and socializing has been around for a very long time. Sharing a meal with other people can easily turn into a pleasant way to spend a little time. Let me tell you about a group of men here in our Jewish community who are experts on that subject. They aren’t formally organized, nor are they a corporation of any kind. They are simply a group of guys, mostly retired, who have discovered if they go to lunch on Mondays at their favorite bagel place, they’ll have lots of company. I’m not sure, but I suspect this became what I call The Fresser’s Club, kind of by accident. Or, maybe a couple of guys who always lunched together every Monday noticed some of their contemporaries were often at Bagel Bin on 119th St., south of Pacific. However it happened, this is the place to be every Monday for lunch if you’re a Jewish male in your 80s and maybe even a little older. These guys don’t call the meeting to order, nor do they read minutes from the Monday before. They just have lunch and shmooze with each other about everything from Nebraska football to the unrest in the east. I’m sure they also exchange family news, both good and bad, because they’ve known each other
since forever. Most of them remember being in school together since the larger percentage are “sabras”. The guys who were born elsewhere have been here so long nobody remembers they aren’t natives. The point is, these men who are all grandfathers (and some great-grandfathers) just sit down together and enjoy themselves. Their lunches are simple but the conversations are as satisfying as egg salad on rye (“Don’t tell my wife you saw me eating eggs!” they plead.) Some of them leave and play golf, or cards or maybe a hot game of handball at the ‘J’. Some go home to take a nap and one or two will even go back to the office. No matter, each will go away with warm and pleasant feelings of camaraderie. Men who easily remember whose business was on the corner of 26th and Lake, or who the principal of Central High School was in 1939, or when AkSar-Ben burned down, or how good that fresh challah from Adler’s Bakery tasted with Friday night dinner...those guys have enough in common to never run out of conversation. May you continue to convene every Monday for many years to come fellas. I call you The Fressers Club but I know in reality you’re there to talk. Go ahead...talk. Argue a little, defend your opinions and just enjoy each others company. And take your time--you paid your dues. You’re entitled to a two hour lunch! Bert Lewis, who has been writing this column for more than 20 years, can be reached at: Bertlewis39@aol.com.
Add Your Name! In a little over four years of the Intifada, terrorism has claimed more Israeli casualties than in the previous 53 years of Israel's existence. In a little less than four weeks, Americans will select the next President of the United States. In a little under four minutes, you can help tell the next President of the United States that allowing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to continue is simply unacceptable. Americans for Peace Now is proud to be supporting an effort to collect as many American Jewish signatures as possible for the letter below, which will be sent after the election to encourage the United States to become more engaged in the pursuit of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Please go on the web to www.peacenow.org/lettertonextpresi dent.html to add your name to this letter. Dear Mr. President,
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As the newly elected President of the United States, you assume the leadership of our nation at a critical time in our history. As American Jews who strongly support Israel, we call on you to commit our nation to vigorous and persistent engagement in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We ask that within the first hundred days of your administration you appoint an internationally respected envoy at the highest level to signal your intentions to pursue full implementation of the disengagement plan and a renewal of negotiations leading to a final status accord. After four years of unrelenting violence and bloodletting, the current stalemate is unspeakably tragic for both peoples and serves as a lightning rod for international terrorism and threats to our nation's security. Moreover, the demographic reality in Israel makes clear the urgency of a two-state solution, the key to preserving Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state. In the past, American presidents have succeeded in bringing about lasting peace agreements between Israel and her Arab neighbors. They did so by maintaining a steadfast commitment in the face of numerous obstacles. We believe that Israeli and Palestinian leaders can be brought back to the negotiating table through your committed and persistent leadership in support of a negotiated two-state solution. Meeting this challenge would be an unparalleled achievement for your presidency. We strongly urge you to take all steps necessary to renew the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and thus advance America's historic contribution to regional stability, global security, and international peace.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
October 8, 2004
Friedel Students Explore the Physical Sciences
Simchat Torah Lessons STAYING IN TOUCH by OZZIE NOGG Every year on Simchat Torah, we march with Scrolls and flags around the synagogue. We read of Moses’ death, finish the Book of Deuteronomy, and then-without a pause--start the Torah cycle over again with Bereshit and the Creation story. This seamless segue can effect me in various ways, depending on my mood. If my world seems balanced, then the simple, rhythmic movement from ending to beginning feels logical and even comforting. If I’m hurting, this life-goes-on-inspite-of-everything stuff can strike me as the Ultimate Cosmic Cliché. And if I’m bone weary, the unbroken circularity makes me yearn for a time out. Obviously, the world, as the Broadway show says, won’t stop and let me get off. But when I look closely at the text we read on Simchat Torah, I find a way to put things on hold. Come with me. It is said that God created man in His image, yet none of us resemble any other. Furthermore, in one of the many Midrashim based on the Creation story read on Simchat Torah, we are told that while God was creating this world, He simultaneously created countless smaller worlds--a metaphor (perhaps) for Mankind. Imagine it! Zillions of people--zillions of small worlds--each spinning in its own orbit. Sometimes we spin out of control and collide. Often we spin so far away we lose sight of one another, of God and the wonders He created for us. Nachman of Bratslav understood this when he said, “Just as your hand, held before your eyes, can hide the tallest mountains--so this earthly life can keep you from seeing the vast radiance that fills the universe.” But even as our individual, small worlds keep busily spinning, we can find a way-and the time--to see the radiance of the universe. All we need do is take our hands from our eyes and read the opening verses of Bereshit. From the text we learn--as we learn every Simchat Torah--that after God spent six days creating the heavens and earth
and all they contained, He brought into being His crowning achievement--the Shabbat. The day that He blessed and called holy, and on which He rested from all the work He had made. Shabbat, says our tradition, is a gift from God. It is a day of sweetness, peace and delight--when the cares and troubles of the past week are forgotten and we can rest, rejoice and be happy. The prophet, Jeremiah, said, “Take heed of the Sabbath, for the sake of your souls.” If, during the year, we forget this teaching, we can thank Simchat Torah for reminding us that Shabbat is a taste of the world to come -a quiet haven when this world is too much with us. Another Simchat Torah lesson: According to the Psalms, in the Beginning, before He created any thing or any body, God created Wisdom. And this Wisdom, said the rabbis, was Torah. And, reasoned the rabbis, if God created the Torah before all else, He must have done so for a purpose. That purpose, they said, was so God could have a blueprint upon which to build the world. A Midrash teaches that the Torah itself declared, “A human king builds a palace not according to his own ideas but according to the ideas of an architect. And the architect depends on parchment and tablets on which are drawn the plans for the rooms and entrances. I am God’s architect,” said the Torah, “and so did God look into me and, accordingly, create the world.” Now, if God looked into the Torah and followed its wisdom in the act of Creation, it seems logical that we--cast in His image-should do the same. And what better time to follow Torah than on Simchat Torah! So. Let’s all march and dance and follow Torah around the synagogue in the holiday hakafot. Then, when the festival has ended, let’s continue to follow its wisdom as the blueprint for building our personal worlds. Through the year, let’s increase our study of Torah-- to learn from it and rejoice in it--as we help complete the work of Creation that God began for us-Bereshit! Ozzie Nogg can be reached at: ozmom@cox.net.
by JORDANA L. KURTZMAN for Friedel Jewish Academy After saying the pledge of allegiance and singing the American and Israeli national anthems, the children at Friedel Jewish Academy rush to their classrooms in anticipation. Science and social studies are key subjects in the general studies programs at Friedel, and children and teachers alike relish the opportunity to Benjamin Brodkey, left, Kindergarten teacher Diana Zeman, study them. Barb Sather has been Joshua Kurtzman-Nissen, Rebecca Novak, Eliana Schuller, teaching second and third Zev Randone, Sam Kricsfeld, and Josh Polack are studying grade classes world geogra- the rainforest. phy. The children are eager The class has also learned about the to learn the names of the four oceans lifecycle of the frog, from the egg to the and seven continents, but Sather doesn’t tadpole to the adult frog. “The children let them off so easily. She reminds them were really interested in how both frogs that “learning geography can be tricky; and birds come from eggs, but develop Europe and Asia are really one land into two completely different animals,” mass.” Zeman said. She has also given her students visual The fourth, fifth, and six grade classes cues on the world map, such as how the have also been learning about physical “finger” of Antarctica points to South science, focusing on the lifecycle of America. To enliven the learning plants. Beyond the familiar world of process, Sather has the children create photosynthesis, Denise Bennett teaches their own globes out of paper maché the children about how the root structhey formed around balloons. ture work to collect water from the In Diana Zeman’s classroom, kinder- leaves, anchor plants to the ground, and gartners study about the rainforest and store food for future use. the multitude of animals that live under By planting their own bean seeds, the the forest’s canopy: birds, frogs, lizards, children have been able to see how snakes, and bugs. The children are fasci- plants germinate. Each day, Bennett’s nated by the variation of insects that class has measured their plants’ growth inhabit the area, especially the curious- in the morning and again in the afterlooking walking stick. noon. Plotting the measurement on Zeman showed her class a short video graphs, the children learn math skills in so the children could visualize the den- conjunction with botanical studies. sity of the foliage and see some of the For information about Friedel, call variety of species that live there. principal Cookie Katskee, 334.0517.
“An Evening of Celebration” Continued from page 1 one of the largest Orthodox congregations in North America. Rabbi Weil worked closely with Rabbi Gross as a teacher and mentor. He will be joined by other dignitaries from Yeshiva University and the Orthodox Union. Reservations are not required for attendance at the building dedication and reception. Reservations for the dinner are requested by Oct. 15. Sponsors, $72, includes one dinner reservation, and
Patrons, $180, includes two dinner reservations, will be recognized in the program book. Individual dinner reservations are also available at $36 each. The committee includes: Margie Alperson, Bonnie Bloch, Elaine Feldman, Howard Gendelman, Donald and Maggie Gerber, Mary Sue Grossman, Julee and Rick Katzman, Bette Kozlen, Maxine Kirshenbaum, Ann Moskovits, Jeanette Nadoff, Paul and Susie Shyken, and Sally Wintroub.
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October 8, 2004
Non-Stop Shopping, Food, Fun: Beth El Sisterhood’s Fall Boutique Has It All Caryn Rifkin and Patti Adler, returning vendors include Threads, Cheryl Levine; Stationery, Patti Adler; Originally Sheri artwork, Sheri Dietrich; RSVP Custom Invitations & Gifts, Nancy Kavich; LOVE; Longaberger baskets and Open Shutters artwork, Leah Kosinovsky; Chocolates, Marilyn Tipp; AYM Skin & Body Care, Ann Yuz Mosenkis; Signatures, Marsha Itkin and Sheila Polikov; Carole’s Collectibles, Carole Lainof; It’s A Girl Thing; ShirTal jewelry, Gade Tene; and the Pampered Chef, Cathy Bourne. The following new vendors will also be welcomed: Sol Parsow, who will offer hand-carved canes and Russian art; kosher items from Tastefully Simple; Hazak, cookbooks; imported Polish pottery, Pam Huerta. Snowman Sculptures, Barbara Goos; Mainstream Fashion, Debbie Remmereid; Habia Plata Jewelry, Barbara Redlinger; Swedish Skin Care, Mary Schroeder; and vendors offering women’s fashions, southwestern jewelry, and travel jewelry. Beth El congregant Carole Lainof will be among the vendors Sisterhood has planned a showing their wares during Beth El’s second annual Fall great afternoon for all-Boutique on Oct. 17. don’t miss it!
by JILL BELMONT Beth El Publicity Coordinator Beth El will be buzzing with excitement and activity on Sunday, Oct. 17, as its Sisterhood holds its second annual Fall Boutique from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day will be filled with shopping, a raffle, and of course, lots of food, including breakfast provided by USY, lunch provided by Men’s Club, and a delicious bake sale, featuring such mouth-watering goodies as strudel, cookies, apple cake, mandel bread and brownies. According to Boutique co-chairmen
Learn to Read Hebrew in Just a Few Weeks by ARIELLA HOFFMAN National Jewish for the Torah Learning Center Outreach program Starting Thursday, Oct. (NJOP), sponsor of the 21, 7 p.m., Torah Learning Hebrew Reading Crash Center will offer a free Course, hopes to open Hebrew Reading Crash the door to a year of Course at the Jewish Jewish growth and comCommunity Center. The mitment for thousands of course is designed to teach previously uninvolved or those with no basic knowlmarginally committed edge of the Hebrew lanJews. guage how to read Hebrew The 10-week Hebrew in 10 easy lessons. Reading Crash Course is Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman will geared toward Jewish Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman lead this 10-week session. beginners, as well as More than just a Hebrew class, 3,000 years those who sometimes attend services, of Jewish history, wisdom, and knowl- but feel left out, unable to follow or edge are slipped in. No matter what your appreciate the liturgy. The course begins background, you will learn to read with learning the Hebrew alphabet and Hebrew in just a few weeks. With his covers basic reading skills, preparing the extensive background in theatre and participant for the exciting experience of Jewish thought, this crash course promis- reading and understanding the prayer es to be as entertaining as it is informative. book and other Jewish texts. After completing the course, one stuThose who complete the course will dent wrote on his evaluation, “I have be able to read Hebrew and gain a rudienjoyed this class very much. Rabbi mentary understanding of the prayers in Hoffman is a wonderful teacher; he is as their original language. excited about teaching as he makes you For more information about the feel learning.” Another added, “I have Hebrew Reading Crash Course, call two children, take Rabbi Hoffman at classes, and worked 402.981.0569 or NJOP part of the time and still at 1.800.44.HEBREW. managed to not only The National Jewish keep up but really Outreach Program was grasp the principals established in 1987 by and concepts being Rabbi Ephraim taught. This class was Buchwald, and has comprehensive without become one of the being complicated, fun world's largest and and informative.” And a most successful Jewish third wrote, “I learned outreach organizations. a great deal in a very NJOP offers free proshort time without grams at more than being stressed out at 3,620 locations across all. If you want to learn to read Hebrew North America and in 30 countries this is definitely the class to take.” worldwide. For many Jews, the inability to read Through programs such as Shabbat Hebrew and understand the synagogue Across America/Canada and Read services is an effective barrier to active Hebrew American/Canada, NJOP has participation in Jewish life. By teaching successfully reached more than 715,000 them to read Hebrew and making them North American Jews and engaged them feel comfortable in synagogues, the in Jewish life.
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
Page 9
Israel’s Colors by BERNARD MANN Legacy Crosswords, © 2004
Sponsored by CATEGORY ONE
Hint: (noun) is/are (color) ACROSS 1. Sign type 5. People often called Gypsies 10. Chanteur Jacques 14. Zhivago’s love 15. Bomber Gay 16. Cool-speak for far-outers 17. Fourth largest inland sea 18. Last Jewish fortress to fall to Rome 19. Gave the once over 20. ISRAEL’S NORTH 23. Goes with pop 24. Finish 25. Ooh, he sure has _ ____ streak! 28. Eve’s provenance 31. Star flower 35. Low area protected by a dike, as in the Netherlands 37. Israeli star singer Nini 39. Judaica artist Lynn ___ Lowe 40. __________ __ RED AND JUICY 44. Licentiate in tooth-pulling 45. Son in Johnny Cash song 46. Eats away 47. Organic salt 50. Refrain piece 52. Swoop 53. A back may need this 55. Gin flavoring 57. JORDAN RIVER SEA 64. Jewish Olympian
Abrahamson, celebrated in Chariots of ____ 65. 1999 hit foreign film Run, ___, Run! and namesakes 66. Its value is higher than dollar 67. Ones, in Quebec 68. Atmosphere, in Afula 69. Isle off Donegal 70. Bird home 71. Theaters have them 72. Unc., cous., gramps, etc. DOWN 1. Smelting biproduct 2. Plantation of Gone With the Wind 3. Exam type 4. High fence of poles 5. Do plantings over again 6. What Van Gogh ended up with 7. Vate starter, for gumption 8. A pity! 9. Beetle Bailey’s superior 10. Sorts of dogs or cats 11. Comic songstress Martha 12. It had the Tree of Life 13. Timothy's powder 21. Invitation, in Hebrew, to a celebration of the start of the Sabbath: “Atta muzman ______ Shabbat” 22. Key nuclear protein 25. What the Serpent tempted Eve with
26. They swing 27. Wes Craven’s 1984 Nightmare on ___ __ (for short) 29. Common English for endo 30. Neck wrap 32. Tional starter salutes heritage 33. Some seals are, some aren’t 34. Dodger shortstop, helped integration by putting arm around Jackie Robinson 36. Union Pac., Rock Isl., et al 38. Had dinner 41. Easier than man. 42. Therefores, in Latin 43. Solitary grizzly? 48. Hemingway 49. What Abrahamson did to earn Gold 51. Well, that’s _ ____! (gotten into it) 54. Lugosi and Bartok 56. Kudrow and Presley 57. Cattle, archaically 58. Angers 59. Roam 60. Kazan 61. Need one to catch some fish 62. Russian river or mountain range 63. Prodigious periods of time 64. Anything but serious
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Page 10
Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
October 8, 2004
Sukkot Around the Heartland
Photos from top row, left: Taking a break from decorating Beth El’s colorful sukkah were Kadimah members Jeff Libov, left, Sarah Hoberman, Ben Gordon (partially hidden), Claire Schlessinger, Rachel Meyer, Becca Gordon, Shir Palmon and Nathan Kahn; and Beth El Youth Director Rachel Katskee and USY members Gal Tsabari, Shira Kronick and Liatte Dotan. At Beth Israel, about 20 volunteers constructed the
new sukkah after morning minyan, including Shami Jacobs, left, and, on the ladder: Alex Grossman, right. Middle row: the Wertheim children--Dylan, Uriah and Amythest--helped build the sukkah at Friedel; B’nai B’rith member Adam Jacobs hoisted pine boughs on Friedel’s sukkah; Eric Dunning, left, and Donald Gerber put together panels for Beth Israel’s sukkah. Next row: at Temple Israel, Zoey Newman, 4, shows off the sukkah she
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designed with crackers and candy; during the service, babies born within the past year were blessed by the clergy--eight-week-old Alex, in the arms of his father, Lance Kugler, was brought up to the bimah, then Alex’s mother, Traci Kugler and big sister Lauren, two, joined them under the indoor sukkah, decorated by Temple member Gretchen Radler. Rabbi Mendel Katzman explains the Simcha Beit HaShoeva ceremony on Sunday
at Chabad’s Sukkot party. Bottom row: Uri Levin, the JCCs Israel shaliach, admires Temple’s sukkah with Hannah Budwig, 8, left, Sophie Budwig, 6; Uri holding Aleia Budwig, 4; and Maddie Jensen, 8. BBYOers Becky Kahn, left, Abby Ginsburg, Julie Gross, Emily Giller decorated the sukkah at the JCC; and at the Torah Learning Center, Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman relaxes in the sukkah with daughters, Gila and Bayla.
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October 8, 2004
ORGANIZATIONS
IN THE NEWS
B’NAI B’RITH BREADBREAKERS State Senator Nancy Thompson will be the guest speaker at our Breadbreakers on Wednesday, Oct. 13, noon, at the Park Inn Regency, according to Gary Javitch, Chairman. Thompson is the Democratic candidate for Congress. Cost is $10 for lunch and $2 for beverage service. Breadbreakers is open to the community. TORAH LEARNING CENTER (TLC) Classes resume the week of Oct. 18 following the Jewish holidays and are taught by Rabbi Tuvia Hoffman. Mondays, 7:30 p.m.: “Kosher Kitchen”--Learn the laws of keeping kosher. No prior knowledge necessary. Beginner and Advanced students will gain from this class at the home of Rabbi and Ariella Hoffman. Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.: “Growth Through Torah”-Personal Growth through studying Jewish philosophy from the Torah. located at a private residence. Wednesdays, noon: “Maximize Your Relationships”-explore your relationships through Torah wisdom in the Omaha Room of the JCC. Thursdays, 1 p.m.: “Meaning of Life and Other Business”--based on the Kabbalistic text Way of G-d by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto at the JCC; at 7:30 p.m. at the JCC, learn to read Hebrew in just a few weeks in our Crash Course in Hebrew Reading, sponsored by NJOP.” For information, call 981.0569. JEWISH EDUCATIONAL AND LIBRARY SERVICES After a holiday break, “The Guy & Bob Show” is back on Tuesdays, noon, in the Kripke Library. Guy Matalon and Bob Wolfson will continue their weekly discussions on Israel, the Middle East, and more. Bring a lunch and hear the latest in what is happening. Call the JELS office at 334.6445 for more information. YOUNG ENERGETIC SENIORS The next meeting is Monday, Oct. 18 at the JCC auditorium. Following lunch at noon, JJ Johnson’s One Man Band will perform. Cost for lunch is $6 per person. Make reservations with Maggie Conti at 334.6521. Deadline for reservations for lunch in Fremont at Carey’s Cottage on Oct. 21, is Oct.14; deadline for WinnaVegas Casino on Oct. 28 is Oct. 21. VISIONS Magical Mystery Trip is Thursday, Oct. 14. For those members going on the day trip, please meet at the JCC main entrance at 8:45 a.m. for an Air Force Weather Agency tour at Offutt AFB. Cost of $14 per person includes transportation, tour, lunch tax and tip. Depart from the JCC at 9:30 a.m. and return by approximately 2 p.m. A complete security check is mandatory, so print full legal name on reservation and bring a picture ID the day of the trip. Make check payable to Visions and send to Sandy and Fred Bromley, 13419 Marinda St., Omaha. NE, 68144 by Oct.27--no exceptions.
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MARRIAGE
Joel Schlessinger, MD, was featured on the cover of Dermatology Business Management Magazine in August. The article detailed his success as a dermatologist and the wide scope of his practice, which involves research, cosmetic dermatology, medical dermatology and a website retailing dermatologist-recommended skincare products, www.LovelySkin.com. Odyssey HealthCare, which provides hospice care to terminally ill patients throughout Eastern Nebraska, Western Iowa, and 69 communities across the United States, announced a $300,000 grant to assist in the launching of a new quality initiative for hospice providers nationwide. Odyssey’s contribution was made to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the country’s largest professional organization for hospice care providers, during the organizations annual conference held in Washington, D.C. recently. Odyssey’s grant is earmarked for the NHPCO’s program focusing on the quality of hospice care. NHPCO has worked closely with hospice experts to forecast the future needs of the terminally ill and has developed various short and long-term goals focusing on quality and access to hospice services. The organization is now developing specific programs and services to continuously improve upon the quality of hospice care services and access to care across the country.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Tuesday Musical Concert Series debuted last Tuesday with tenor Lawrence Brownlee. Upcoming concerts include: Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra, Gidon Kremer, Artistic Director and Soloist on Wednesday, Nov. 17, Emmanuel Ax and Yefim Bronfman, DuoPianos on Wednesday, March 9, 2005, and Frederic Chiu, Piano on Tuesday, April 12, 2005. For tickets you can purchase Triple Treat (3 Tickets) for $84, or Individual tickets for Adults $30, and Full Time Students, $5. For additional information, please call 402.551.2234, or log on to TuesdayMusical Omaha.org, or e-mail us at TuesMus@aol.com or write to Tuesday Musical Concert Series, P.O. Box 6132, Omaha, NE 68106-0132.
KOESTER/ROSEN Kate Koester and Daniel Rosen were married at Temple Israel on Sunday, Sept. 5. A reception at Joslyn Art Museum’s Fountain Court followed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Susan and Bob Koester of Chicago, IL. The bride graduated from Evergreen State College and is currently a graduate student in the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. The groom, son of Margo and Bill Rosen, has a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. from University of Minnesota in Counseling Psychology. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in Psychology and teaching at the Community College of Philadelphia. His grandparents are Rose Rosen and the late Ben Rosen. The groom’s brother, David Rosen, was the best man. The couple resides in Philadelphia, PA.
ENGAGEMENT BROCKMAN/PRED Charlotte and Richard Brockman of Leawood, KS, announce the engagement of their daughter, Gayla Ann, to Marshall Edward Pred, son of Gwen and Ray Pred. The bride-to-be earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a master’s in health care administration from Simmons College in Boston, MA. She is the Executive Director of the Menorah Legacy Foundation in Kansas City. Her grandparents are Jean Brockman of Kansas City and the late Dave Brockman, Edith Pinsky of Overland Park, KS, and the late Louis Pinsky. Her fiancé earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona and is an agent for Reece and Nichols, a Kansas City real estate firm. A Nov. 13 wedding is planned in Kansas City, MO. The couple will make their home in Kansas City, following a honeymoon in Australia and New Zealand.
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Jewish Press, Omaha, NE
October 8, 2004
Opinion The Countdown to Election Day If you haven’t registered to vote in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections, you’re too late. On the other hand, if you’re registered, there’s still time to vote by absentee ballot. If you’ll be out of town or are worried about the weather--and you’ve made up your mind about the candidates and the ballot issues, you can vote now. Just stop by the Douglas County Election Commission office on 115th and Davenport (if you’re a Douglas County resident). In addition to the presidential election, every member of congress is up for re-election. Nebraska’s Senators and the Governor have two more years before there are races in those categories, but keep a close eye on races in the Unicameral and on local school boards--that’s where many politicians get their start. And, because term limits have been imposed in this state, some experienced state legislators will be forced to step down in two years--leaving the field wide open to newcomers. That will create something of a conundrum for the next governor, who may have to deal with inexperienced state senators, some of whom may sponsor specific legislation because of support by special interest groups. On the other hand, maybe some of the new members of the Unicam will place more emphasis on passing realistic legislation
instead in a timely manner (or not!). Then, there are the ballot issues. The biggie for Douglas County is, of course, gambling. This is a serious issue and voters should be well informed. Proponents insist legalized gambling will bring more money to the county and state, yet have declined to speak about the hidden costs of gambling: more prostitution, drugs and other costs to police and society. As to the presidential elections, the Jewish Press cannot endorse candidates or political parties, however, we have and will continue to print a variety of opinion pieces on both. Our Special Guide to the Elections will publish on Oct. 29. According to our own Press guidelines, “‘Letters to the Editor’ from announced candidates will not be published, however, candidates are free to pay for advertising (and should be encouraged to do so).
(Founded in 1920)
Once a candidate has been elected to any office, the Jewish Press may cover any story which the editor deems as being of interest to the readers. These policies only apply to announced candidates and election periods. “Opinion pieces on issues will be printed by people other than the candidates themselves” and we welcome them. Tell us where you stand on the issues and for whom you’re voting. And don’t forget to vote on Nov. 2!
Recalling Sen. John Kerry’s First Trip to Israel in 1986
AMERICA DECIDES 2004 by RICHARD ASINOF Boston Jewish Advocate Staff BOSTON--Eighteen years ago, in May 1986, when Ronald Reagan was President (and George W. Bush was drilling for oil in Texas), Sen. John Kerry, a new member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, flew a Israeli training jet over the Negev and learned firsthand about Israel’s security needs. The flight, in a Fuga trainer, was arranged in an impromptu manner at the Ovda Air Base near Eilat by an Israeli colonel, an ace from the 1967 Six-Day War. Kerry, a pilot, flew toward Aqaba with the Israeli ace as his co-pilot. In a recent talk, detailing his experiences on that first trip to Israel, Kerry recalled: “It was an extraordinary lesson to get this sense of how compacted and small (Israel) was.” Kerry’s week-long visit, coordinated by the Anti-Defamation League of New England’s Executive Director Lenny Zakim, served as a seminal event in shaping Kerry’s strong support for Israel. Again and again, Kerry was struck by the extraordinary security issues faced by Israel, according to Esta and Bob Epstein, who were part of the small entourage traveling with him. The group also included Sheldon and Beverly Cohen, Phyllis Simpkin and Mel Ross. “We were on a kibbutz on the Golan Heights that had recently been under attack,” Esta recalled. “The reality of how small Israel was--that Damascus was just a few miles away, just a few seconds in a jet fighter--truly resonated with John. He was astounded by the dramatic security risks faced by Israel every day.” During the visit, Kerry met one-on-one with Israeli leaders, generals and members of the Knesset, including Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak, Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, and then Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Kerry also met with
U.S. Ambassador Thomas Pickering and American Consul Morris Draper. A photo essay of the visit was published in The Jewish Advocate (“Senator Kerry Visits Israel with Boston ADL Mission,” The Advocate, July 24, 1986). Kerry also engaged in a sometimescontentious dialogue with Palestinian leaders who, according to the Epsteins, were unwilling to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. Kerry also laid a wreath at Yad Vashem, unaware then that his own Jewish relatives had been killed in the Holocaust.
“The reality of how small Israel was--that Damascus was just a few miles away, just a few seconds in a jet fighter-truly resonated with John.”
late into the night. Kerry spoke about how moved he had been by his experiences. “Many of us had tears in our eyes,” she said. Recalling that first visit, Kerry said recently: “Israel is special. It is a placed to be guarded and cherished by all. And, I want you to know that, as president, my promise to the people of Israel is this: I will never force Israel to make concessions that cost or compromise any of Israel’s security. The security of Israel is paramount.” Boston’s Bob Epstein, watching Kerry’s perceptions evolve during the trip, praised Kerry’s ability to grasp the issues so quickly. “John Kerry is a very intelligent person,” he said. “He’s a very quick study. It’s remarkable how he understood everything so rapidly. John is--and always will be--a fervent supporter of Israel.” The Epsteins mentioned that Kerry’s brother, Cameron, married a Jewish woman, and converted to Judaism. “The important thing that Jewish people should understand about John Kerry is this,” Bob Epstein said, striking a partisan tone. “While our current president is overwhelmingly committed to Israel, he may fall down on other issues. John Kerry doesn’t fall down on those issues, and he is equally fervent and committed to Israel.’’
At Masada, Kerry went to the edge of the mountain where the Israeli air force is sworn in. “We stood on the edge and we yelled, ‘Am Yisrael chai!’ And boom, across came the echo. We looked at each other, and we felt as if we were hearing the sounds of those who had died there, speaking to us.” Perhaps equally important, the Epsteins said, was the strong relationship Kerry developed with Lenny Zakim, the former director of the regional ADL and for whom the newest bridge spanning Boston is named. “John depended on Lenny as a sounding board on issues related to the Jewish community and to Israel,” Bob Epstein said. Using a familiar metaphor to describe Zakim, Epstein said, “Lenny was a bridge-builder; he forged bridges with so many people in the community. John Kerry was one of those people with whom he had a special relationship.” On the last night of the trip, at dinner, the Epsteins said that there was a very meaningful and emo- Sen. John Kerry, right, meets with then Prime Minister Shimon tional conversation that had gone Peres on his trip to Israel in 1986.
Joanie Jacobson Chairman Carol Katzman Editor Richard Busse Creative Director Allan Handleman Advertising Manager Timothy J. Ketelsen Bookkeeper Lori Kooper-Schwarz Production Assistant Jewish Press Committee Howard K. Marcus, Vice-Chairman; Bobbi Leibowitz, Secretary; Scott Meyerson, Finance Chairman; Steve Simon, Treasurer; Fred Tichauer, Immediate Past-chairman; Jean Duitch; Penny Endelman; Kip Gordman; Stanley Mitchell; George Quittner; Linda Saltzman; Joey Shyken; Michael Siegal; Nancy Skid; and Melany Weinstein. The role of the Jewish Federation of Omaha is to involve Jews in meeting Jewish communal needs locally, nationally and in Israel. Centers of Excellence of the Federation are: Community Relations, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Educational and Library Services, Jewish Family Service, and Jewish Senior Services. The Jewish Press and the Foundation are constutional committees of the Jewish Federation. Editorials express the view of the writer and are not necessarily representative of the views of the Jewish Press Committee, the Jewish Federation of Omaha or the Omaha Jewish community as a whole. The Jewish Press reserves the right to edit signed letters and articles for space and content. The Jewish Press is not responsible for the Kashrut of any product or establishment. Editorial The Jewish Press is a Constitutional Committee of the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Deadline for copy, ads and photos is: Thursday, noon, eight days prior to publication. E-mail editorial material and photos to: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org; send ads (in .TIF or .PDF format) to: rbusse@jewishomaha.org. Letters to the Editor Guidelines The Jewish Press welcomes Letters to the Editor. They may be sent via regular mail to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132 St., Omaha, NE 68154; via fax: 1-402-334-5422 or via e-mail to the Editor at: ckatzman@jewishomaha.org.. Letters should be no longer than 250 words and must be singlespaced typed, not hand-written. Published letters should be confined to opinions and comments on articles or events. News items should not be submitted and printed as a “Letter to the Editor.” The Editor may edit letters for content and space restrictions, but should be printed as soon as possible to ensure timeliness. Letters may be published without giving an opposing view. Information shall be verified before printing. All letters must be signed by the writer, but the name can be withheld at the writer’s request. No letters should be published from candidates running for office, but others may write on their behalf. Letters of thanks should be confined to commending an institution for a program, project or event, rather than personally thanking paid staff, unless the writer chooses to turn the “Letter to the Editor” into a paid personal ad or a news article about the event, project or program which the professional staff supervised. For more information, contact Carol Katzman, Jewish Press Editor, 402.334.6450. Postal The Jewish Press (USPS 275620) is published weekly on Friday for $31 per calendar year U.S.; $35 foreign, by the Jewish Federation of Omaha. Phone: 402.334.6448; FAX: 402.334.5422. Periodical postage paid at Omaha, NE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Press, 333 So. 132nd St., Omaha, NE 68154-2198 or e-mail to: jpress@jewishomaha. org.
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Among Orthodox, Republicans Sense They Have Natural Allies AMERICA DECIDES 2004 by MATTHEW E. BERGER NEW YORK (JTA)--There’s a standard pitch that Republicans make to a Jewish audience, and it usually centers around the support Israel has received from the Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. But put Republicans in front of a group of Orthodox Jews, and the discussion becomes more intimate. “You represent a set of views and values that are beautiful, that are courageous and that are right for mankind,” Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) told Orthodox leaders at a Bush/Cheney meeting for observant Jews last month. “We want you as part of this party.” While the Bush administration and re-election campaign have been focused on getting Jews, seen as a traditionally Democratic voting bloc, to consider supporting President Bush this November, they think longer term when they talk to the Orthodox community. Sensing that Orthodox Jews may share more values with Christian conservatives than with less observant Jews, Republican strategists think they can get more Orthodox voters to actively support Republicans, both this November and in the future. That would mean more than just votes: Being able to showcase men with yarmulkes and side-locks would help bolster the Republicans’ argument that they’re a party of diversity. “We are a minority within a minority,” said Nathan Diament, Director of the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs. “But within recent years the Orthodox community, on many fronts, has become much more active and engaged players within the political arena, and we ought to be paid attention too.” The fact that last month’s campaign event was geared toward Orthodox Jews, and not the Jewish population at large, showed that a different message is being sent to the religious community. To be sure, the conversation touched on Israel, as well as other priorities in the Middle East. Brownback even suggested that now that Bush has changed the U.S. position on Israel’s West Bank settlements, he should take the issue of Jerusalem off the table by declaring that it belongs only to Israel. But talk also focused on preventing the legalization of gay marriage and preserving the preciousness of all life, including the unborn. Those subjects are strictly taboo in meetings with non-Orthodox Jews because most Jewish voters disagree with the Republicans on those topics. Two other Republican senators, Norm Coleman (RMN) and Rick Santorum (R-PA), toured an Orthodox social service institution in the fervently Orthodox neighborhood of Boro Park, Brooklyn, following the conference, touting their support for faith-based initiatives. While the idea of giving federal funds to faith-based groups for social service programming is controversial in the Jewish community, many Orthodox Jewish leaders embrace the program, thinking it may aid their insti-
tutions. Evident throughout the events was the notion that both religious Jews and Republicans are people of morals. “We are not perfect by any means, and we still get things wrong, but we more represent the values you stand for than the Democratic Party does,” said Brownback, himself a religious conservative. “I hope you come in, and you are welcome.” The timing seems to be right for the Republican Party to tout itself to the Orthodox community. The Republicans’ strong support for Israel is important to the outreach, as is the idea that Bush’s frequent comments about his own strong religious faith have endeared him to religious Jews.
Sensing that Orthodox Jews may share more values with Christian conservatives than with less observant Jews, Republican strategists think they can get more Orthodox voters to actively support Republicans, both this November and in the future. “This is an administration that appreciates faith, and it comes from the top down,” said Tevi Troy, a former Jewish liaison in the White House who now works as a policy advisor in the re-election campaign. Troy, an observant Jew himself, was concerned about moving to the campaign because he would be able to work only six days a week. But, he said, he found his peers welcoming of his Sabbath observance. “He is a man of God, he is a man of principle, he is unapologetic about his faith as a still point for him in this turning world,” said Tim Goeglein, deputy director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, who is tasked with reaching out to religious conservatives. The concerted effort to reach out to the Orthodox community has not always been there: Religious Jews traditionally were seen as more concerned about local politics, and as aligned with the Democratic Party. The Orthodox also were seen as just another subset of the Jewish vote, which Republicans had all but dismissed as irretrievably Democratic. In recent years Orthodox Jews have become more ingrained in American society, more affluent and more interested in national politics, and have been actively reaching out to Republicans. Now the GOP is reaching back, and viewing them as a separate voting bloc. “We’re reaching out to all Jews,” Troy said. “But we recognize that certain communities are more comfortable with events that are just their events.” The Democrats also seem to regard the Orthodox community as a distinct voting group. Cameron Kerry, brother of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and his surrogate in the Jewish commu-
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nity, met with Orthodox leaders in New York, too. David Luchins, an Orthodox community leader and former aide to Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, said he believes Democrats still will enjoy large support in the Orthodox community because there are other issues on which Republicans and Orthodox Jews disagree. He cited stem cell research and gun control, two issues that Orthodox groups generally support but Republicans oppose. “The hard Christian right scares the heebie-jeebies out of the Jews,” Luchins said. “As long as the Sam Brownbacks, who are wonderful on Israel, are burdened by the agenda of the Christian right, Jews will continue to support Democrats.” He notes that the Republicans most popular in the Jewish community, such as former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, were socially liberal. But Republicans seem content to focus on areas in which they are aligned with the devout Jews. Vice President Dick Cheney even headlined a fund-raiser for the campaign in New York last October that was geared specifically toward devout Jews. Dietary laws were enforced. Certainly, the crux of the effort is to increase votes for Bush in November. But having Bush supported by a group of Jews who are visibly recognizable representatives of their faith helps the party sell the message that it is diverse and inclusive, counterbalancing stereotypes about the GOP. But Abba Cohen, Washington director of Agudath Israel of America, said the community is not content to be a visual prop for the Republicans. “We’re smart people,” Cohen said. “We know when Orthodox Jews say they have trouble understanding why some of their peers remain Democrats, and think Republicans need to continue the work they have started. “I think they are taking us seriously, but I don’t think they have an organized effort to educate the Jewish community about the benefits of being a Republican,” said Karen Steele, an Orthodox Republican delegate from Washington, who asked Brownback, “Why are so many Jews members of the Democratic Party?’’
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To the Editor: I just wanted to let you know--as I was scanning your Sept. 24 edition --that I appreciate seeing your paper every week, and I appreciate the Herculean effort to put out a weekly community newspaper. This is simply one of those “I want to express appreciation” moments. Have a happy, healthy new year.. Laurie A. Rosenwasser Executive Director Upper Midwest Region of Hadassah Minneapolis, MN
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Synagogue Listings B’nai Israel Synagogue 618 Mynster St. Council Bluffs, IA 51503-0766 322.4705 email: CBsynagogue@hotmail.com
Beth El Synagogue Member of United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism 14506 California Omaha, NE 68154-1980 492.8550 www.bethel-omaha.org
Beth Israel Synagogue Member of Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 12604 Pacific St. Omaha, NE. 68154 556.6288 BethIsrael@OrthodoxOmaha.org
Beyt Shalom An Affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation 3012 S. 119 St. P.O. Box 390352 Omaha, NE 68139 660.2395 www.beytshalomomaha.org
Chabad House An Affiliate of Chabad-Lubavitch 1866 S. 120th St. Omaha, NE 68144-1646 330.1800 nebraskajudaism.com email: chabad@aol.com
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun South Street Temple Union for Reform Judaism 2061 S. 20th St. Lincoln, NE 68502-2797 435.8004 jewishnebraska.org
Offutt Air Force Base SAC Memorial Chapel 301 Lincoln Highway Offutt AFB, NE 68113 294.6244
Rose Blumkin Jewish Home 333 S. 132 St. Omaha, NE 68154
Temple Israel Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) 7023 Cass Street Omaha, NE 68132-2651 556.6536 templeisrael-ne.org
The Neighborhood Minyan Torah Learning Center 1313 No. 58 St. Omaha, NE 68132 553.5397
Tifereth Israel Member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 3219 Sheridan Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68502-5236 423.8569 tiferethisraellincoln.org
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to reserve space, call Allan Handleman, 334-6451.
October 8, 2004
Synagogues B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE FRIDAY: Services followed by Oneg, 7:30 p.m.
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. FRIDAY: Kabbalat Shabbat service, 6 p.m.; Tot Shabbat, 6 p.m. SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m.; Kiddush sponsored by Marlene Sukiennik and children in honor of Hyman’s special birthday. Evening Service, 6:40 p.m. WEEKDAY SERVICES: Sunday, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Weekdays, 6:55 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sitter Service is available during Friday night and Saturday morning services, on a drop-in basis, at no charge. WEDNESDAYS: 10:45 a.m. PATTER (Parents & Toddlers, Torah, Exercise, Recreation) session class for 11/2 to threeyear-olds with Helen Epstein, For more information, call Harriet Einziger, 492.855. SUNDAY: 10 a.m. Jewish Pot Pourri Class in the synagogue library, join teacher Susi Frydman-Levin for a new class that will offer a little bit of everything Jewish: from music and literature to history and traditions. For reservations, contact Harriet Einziger. Rabbi Levin’s popular Thursday class will return Oct. 14, noon-1 p.m.; this year’s theme is “The Most Important People and Ideas of the Hebrew Bible.” Lunch will be available following class; for reservations or for more information, contact Harriet Einziger in the synagogue office. SUNDAY, Oct. 17, 10 a.m.-3 p.m: Sisterhood Bazaar. Ron Wolfson Scholar-inResidence Weekend, OCT. 2931: Join us for a joyful Shabbat weekend with our own Ron Wolfson, author and one of the leaders in Jewish family education. The community is invited to Dr. Wolfson’s One-of-a-Kind Take-Home Shabbat Dinner, on Friday, Oct. 29, following 6 p.m. services. Reservations are required and may be made by contacting the synagogue office.
BETH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE Office Hours: MondayThursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8:30 a.m-2 p.m. Services conducted by Rabbi Jonathan Gross. Torah Tours returns! Five staff members, three women who are graduates of Stern College, and two men currently studying for smicha (rabbinic ordination) at Yeshiva Chovevei Torah will lead
informal study sessions and give lectures throughout the weekend. FRIDAY: Simchat Torah Shacharit, 9 a.m. Kiddush is sponsored by Harry, Zoe and Brad Berman in honor of Beth’s birthday. Kids’ Kiddush is sponsored by Marilyn Berman in honor of Beth’s birthday. Following kiddush, the staff of the Torah Tours will lead a shiur. Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Free Babysitting, 9:30 a.m.; Junior Congregation, 10:30 a.m.; Kiddush and Kids’ Kiddush sponsored by Sisterhood. Shiur with Torah Tours staff, 5:45 p.m.; Mincha, 6:15 p.m.; Havdalah, 7:35 p.m. SUNDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:45 p.m. WEEKDAYS: Shacharit, 7 a.m.; Mincha/Ma’ariv, 6:45 p.m.
BEYT SHALOM FRIDAY: Shabbat in the Home
CHABAD HOUSE Services conducted by Rabbi Mendel Katzman. FRIDAY: Simchas Torah, 9:30 a.m.; All Children will be called up to the Torah (Kol HaN’arim), 11:30 a.m.; Hakafot Kiddush Luncheon to follow. SATURDAY: Mamarim class, 9 a.m.; Services, 9:30 a.m. SUNDAY: Services, 8:30 a.m. Mishneh class, 9:30 a.m.; Coffee and cake follows. MONDAY: Services, 7 a.m.; Halacha, “Walking the Walk” of Jewish Law, 7 p.m. This course offers textual study and practical how-to’s on the laws of the Festivals. TUESDAY: Services, 7 a.m.; W.O.W: Seasons of the Soul-Jewish Life Cycles, 9 a.m. Women only; babysitting available upon request. WEDNESDAY: Services, 7 a.m.; Kabbalistic Journeys. First class of 8-week session. This is a course to lead you on a journey into the self and the world around you, 7 p.m. THURSDAY/FRIDAY: Services, 7 a.m. All events and programs are open to the entire community. For more information or to register call 330.1800.
CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN Rabbi Debbie Stiel will be in Lincoln two weekends a month. Please call her at 402.416.2321 or e-mail her at rabstiel@aol.com to set up an appointment. FRIDAY: Potluck Dinner, 6 p.m.; Simchat Torah Family Shabbat with Kindergarten Consecration led by Rabbi Debbie Stiel, 7:15 p.m with oneg to follow. SATURDAY: Shabbat Morning
PERSONAL I wish to thank all of my family and friends for all the flowers, donations, cards, phone calls and good wishes for my speedy recovery. Your thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated. Marlene Dandy
Candlelighting Friday, October 8, 6:35 p.m.
Service, 9:30 a.m.; Torah Study, 10:30 a.m. All led by Rabbi Debbie Stiel SUNDAY: Religious School, 9 a.m-noon
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE FRIDAY: Services, 7:30 p.m.
ROSE BLUMKIN JEWISH HOME FRIDAY: Simchat Torah Services, 9 a.m. led by Rabbi Shechet. SATURDAY: Services, 9 a.m. led by Steve Riekes.
TEMPLE ISRAEL FRIDAY: Shabbat Evening Service, 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Craig Marantz and Cantor Wendy Shermet will officiate. Scholar-in-Residence Albert Vorspan will speak on “A Call to Action in Tough Times.” The Oneg Shabbat will be sponsored by Angel & Aaron Goldman, Laura & Rick Schrager, Jeffrey & Ann Schrager, & Lauren & Tim Schrager in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their brother Jack Schrager. SATURDAY: Bagels and Sacred Books, 9:30-10:15 a.m. Join Temple’s scholar, Al Vorspan, for a thought-provoking discussion; Shabbat Morning Service, 10:30 a.m. Jack Schrager, son of Terri and Phil Schrager will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah at Shabbat Morning Services. SITTER SERVICE Available at each Friday evening service, Saturday mornings when there is a bar or bat mitzvah, as well as Sunday mornings when there is Religious School. Please make a reservation through the Temple office. Cost is $2 per family. Sorry, there are no facilities for infants. ADULT EDUCATION THURSDAY, Oct. 14: “Adult Study with the Clergy” with Rabbi Azriel, 10-11:30 a.m. FRIDAY, Oct.15: Readings in the Zohar. Using the new Pritzker edition of the Zohar (the Book of Radiance), Prof. Guy Matalon, Director of JELS, will explore the deeper meanings of the Torah, noon-1 p.m. (See story on page 2.) SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE Albert Vorspan, Oct. 8-10, “Tough Choices for American Jews”. He is senior vice president emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). A leader in the struggle for civil rights, the peace movement and interfaith activities, Vorspan is also the former director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. He now serves as URJ’s representative to the United Nations. Friday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.: “A Call to Action in Tough Times”. Oneg Shabbat following Saturday, Oct. 9: Bagels and
Sacred Books, 9-10:15 a.m. “Are We Jews Secure in America? A Debate with Myself” Sunday, Oct. 10: Bagel Brunch “On Election Eve 2004: What is the Jewish Role in American Politics? What Should It Be?” All events are open to the community at no charge and are sponsored by the Hermene Zweiback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning. PANCAKE BREAKFAST WITH THE PANCAKE MAN SUNDAY, Oct. 17, 9-10 a.m.: Women of Reform Judaism, Omaha is again sponsoring a pancake breakfast featuring Jim the Pancake Man. Bring the whole family for breakfast before going to the Family Prayer Assembly, 10 a.m. Cost is $4.25 for adults and $3.50 for children 12 and under for an all-you-can-eat breakfast.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD MINYAN AT TLC FRIDAY: Simchat Torah Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Kabbalat Shabbat, 6:30 p.m. SATURDAY: Shacharit, 9 a.m.; Mincha/Maariv, 6:30 p.m.
TIFERETH ISRAEL Services conducted by Rabbi Stanley M. Rosenbaum. Minyan, MONDAY & THURSDAY, 7:15 a.m. FRIDAY: Simchat Torah Shacharit, 9:30 a.m.; Services, 8 p.m. Oneg Shabbat following services hosted by Julie and David Brockman SATURDAY: Morning service, 9:30 a.m. Haleigh Brockman, daughter of Julie and David Brockman, will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah at Shabbat Morning Services. TUESDAY, Oct. 12: Leon Wieseltier, literary editor of The New Republic, will speak on “Power and Virtue: American Foreign Policy in the Middle East after Sept. 11”, 3:30 p.m. at the Lied Center. WEDNESDAY: Men’s Lunch Group will meet at the Knolls, 12:30 p.m. Contact Yale Gotsdiner at 423.7066; Women’s Study Group, 7:30 p.m. led by Nancy Coren. UPCOMING EVENTS THURSDAY, Oct. 21: Synagogue Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY, Oct. 26: Paul Barnes, prof. of music at UNL, will discusses the connection between Jewish and Christian chanting in a presentation entitled, “The Sacred Bridge: The continuity between Jewish Cantillation and Early Christian Chants”, 7:30 p.m. at Temple B’nai Jeshurun.
EARLY DEADLINE NOTICE The deadline for the Oct. 22 special issue on Education and Camping is Wednesday, Oct. 13. Photos used in the New Year’s issue may be picked up in the Jewish Press office during regular business hours. Questions? Call 334.6448.
October 8, 2004
DEATHS HENRY RIEKES Continued from page 1 In 1994, Henry and Dorothy Riekes donated $100,000 for an historical museum located in the Dan and Esther Gordman Center for Jewish Learning, on the southwest corner of the Jewish Community Center. At the time, they said they donated the money because they believed so strongly in the outstanding work of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society. The restoration of the synagogue artifacts began with remnants of two former Omaha synagogues. The partly reconstructed synagogues were meant to preserve Omaha’s roots and provides a three-dimensional link to the Jewish world in Europe from which most of the Jewish immigrants arrived at the turn of the century. Shaare Zion Synagogue, located at 1552 No. 19 St., was a small makeshift synagogue that later became known as the Riekes Shul. The Orthodox synagogue
The Book of God and Man
SPARKS FROM THE WORD by RABBI MYER S. KRIPKE Parashat Bereishit As we come to the opening chapters of the Holy Book for the beginning of the round of weekly readings of Torah, I am always filled with different emotions. One of them, of course, is, at it were, trepidation before the gravity of the task before us. Another is the wonder at the greatness of the literary skills of the writers of Torah, almost matching the gravity of the subject matter. The subject matter includes the nature of the Godhead. The Midrash Rabbah finds God not only the Creator of heaven and earth, but also the Commander and Director of many much less important items. Was God Himself involved in so many lesser things? The Midrash suggests that God told the sun and moon to stop before Joshua; that God told the ravens to feed Elijah; that God warned the fire not to harm the three who were put in the furnace to burn, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah; that God commanded the lions not to harm Daniel, who had been thrust into their cage; that God commanded the great fish to cast Jonah out on the shore. From this it is apparent that at least some of the ancient rabbis thought that God busied Himself regularly and constantly with the affairs of men, specifically the needs of His people, Israel. This, of course, is a comforting thought. On the other hand, there is the opinion that God watches and judges, but that He does not interfere with the free choices that humans have. Any of this, and all of this, leads us to the necessity of preparing for ourselves, each one, some kind of conception of what God is, ranging widely from the relatively simple to the relatively complex and sophisticated. But, at the very least, we may want to know what this Book is. One very profound and very simple title describes it fully and sends the reader to a fuller study: it is the Book of God and Man.
Solution to Crossword Puzzle Israel’s Colors on Page 9
was located in a two-story frame house owned by Sam Riekes. It closed in 1958. B’nai Jacob, once located at 3040 Cuming, closed in 1985 and the artifacts were kept in storage for nearly 10 years before Henry and Dorothy Riekes made their donation. Its artifacts were combined with those of the Riekes Shul to create the Riekes Museum. It is often said that “Where there are two Jews, there will be at least three synagogues.” The Riekes Museum is a memorial to the diversity of worship in Omaha’s Jewish community. It was billed as the first full-time Jewish museum in Nebraska and recalls congregations that date back to the turn of the century when the Riekes family first came to Omaha. In 1997, the Endowment Achievement Award was presented to Henry and Dorothy Riekes for establishing one of the first foundations at the Federation in their typical example of quiet generosity. According to Marty Ricks, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation Foundation, “For the last six years, I have been fortunate to be the main contact between Henry and Dorothy and the Federation in regard to their charitable giving to the Federation Annual Campaign and other projects. Generally this means a couple visits to their home each year, usually accompanied by their son, Steve. Invariably, I leave these meetings with the Riekes family with a heightened awareness that our Jewish community owes so much of its success to the generosity and active involvement of Henry and Dorothy. “Almost 30 years ago, they had the foresight to realize that to insure the continued viability of the Omaha Jewish community, they must step forward with a permanent gift. Henry visited my office regularly and hand-delivered his donor-advised recommendations. He always came in with a smile and some kind words to make the day more pleasant,” he added. “I miss those visits and I will miss Henry very much.” Riekes was the former President of Riekes Container Company, then Riekes Group Alco Standard Company and reorganized as Riekes Container Group. In 1983, he was named Chairman; the company is now known as Ryco. Six brothers and sisters preceded Henry Riekes in death. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Dorothy Chait Riekes, a brother, Max Riekes of Woodside, CA; sons and daughters-in-law, Steve and Margo Riekes and Carl and Zoë Riekes; daughter and son-in-law, Nancy Alvarez-Calderon and Alberto Calderon of La Jolla, CA; grandchildren, Suzanne and Tracy Daw of Seattle, WA; Ari Riekes, Andrea Calderon of New York, Anne and Yishai Weinstein of Israel; Carolina and Paul Wolf of New York, Daniel and Cathy Sacio of San Diego, CA, Brett and Stacey Atlas, Carin Riekes and Rachel Riekes, both of Chicago, IL; and seven great-grandchildren. Memorials to charity of choice. (Martin P. Wolf and Carol Katzman contributed to this article.) LILLIAN LIPSEY FELDMAN Lillian Lipsey Feldman died in Phoniz, AZ, on Sept. 28, at the age of 99. Services were held Sept. 29 there. A retired owner of Steve’s Market in Omaha, she is survived by her daughter, Sandra Flanagan of San Felipe, Mexico; three grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren. Memorials to City of Hope, 7900 East Greenway Rd., Suite #207, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.
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October 8, 2004
Stationed Abroad, Jewish GIs Given a Chance to Serve Country--and God by URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA)--While it’s unlikely that a hurricane like Ivan will ever sweep through Balad, Iraq, Chaplain Capt. Shmuel Felzenberg says he thinks his desert sukkah--built for him near Balad by soldiers of the U.S. Army--likely could withstand the storm. Felzenberg, a rabbi, is one of a handful of Jewish chaplains stationed with U.S. forces deployed in the Arab world during the Jewish holidays. There are an estimated 1000 Jewish GIs in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, and the military and a variety of Jewish organizations have gone to great lengths to help them celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot overseas. “As for an actual sukkah--my battalion’s own Army engineers built me one, which could likely withstand a hurricane!” Felzenberg wrote in an email to JTA from Iraq. “And am hoping our welders can do me a nice displaysize menorah for Chanukah,” he added. Celebrating Jewish holidays on the battlefield is not always an easy -or possible--feat. But Jewish soldiers say the army goes to great lengths to enable such celebrations--ferrying soldiers to hubs where they can attend prayer services, shipping Torahs and kosher holiday food to those gatherings and dispatching chaplains from halfway around the world to lead services. When chaplains are not available, Jewish soldiers often step up to the task, leading services, guiding soldiers in using the lulav and etrog in prayer
on Sukkot and helping create a Jewish atmosphere in the desert sands of the Middle East. “There are some p o s t s w h e r e Former Omahan Dr. Andrew Friedman is a Lt. Commander, there are very, very Capt. Schmuel Felzenberg, left, the chaplain for the 84th stationed in Tikrit, Iraq, third from right, with the 933rd few prac- Engineer Combat Battalion, poses in Iraq with his assistant, Medical Corps. He sent this photo of the “docs” to Sherm Credit: Sgt. Joy Smith Golbitz to share with the Jewish community. t i c i n g Pfc. David Cavener. “People from all over Iraq were came out of curiosity. Jews,” said Capt. Estee Pinchasin, a 29There were no Iraqis, however. year-old company commander in the transported. It was a special pass,” “To my husband, this is a really 249th engineering battalion. “You end Pinchasin said. “They had lodging set up having to do your own thing and up for them and machzorim and taliss- important time to be in Iraq,” the chapes, and books and little classes.” lain’s wife, Dini Felzenberg, told JTA in find your own way.” Organizations like the Aleph an interview shortly before the holiOriginally from Long Beach, N.Y., Pinchasin is based in Fort Belvoir, Va., Institute, the Jewish Welfare Board and days began. “Partly, I feel it’s bad that he’s not here but spent Rosh Hashanah last year in the Jewish Soldier Foundation help fill Kuwait. This year, she was in Kuwait in the blanks, sending extra kosher with us--of course, it’s hard for the kids food, holiday ritual objects and prayer to not have your daddy here,” she said. for Yom Kippur and Sukkot. “On the other hand, I and the kids are “It was one of the best services I ever books for the soldiers. Felzenberg, who lives in Hawaii, said extremely proud of what he’s doing. attended in my life,” she said of last year’s holiday services in Kuwait, he found the diversity of those who He’s not here because he’s doing somewhich were led by Chaplain Col. Jacob attended his Rosh Hashanah service thing we are honored by. When he read Megillah in Saddam Hussein’s palace” Goldstein, who lives in Brooklyn. “I this year unique. “I always find an interesting blend of last Purim “he wasn’t here but he was in was very impressed. I couldn’t believe the efforts the army put forth for this.” persons who attend, across a wide the next-best place.” As for this holiday season, she said, The commanding general in the area demographic,” he said, including U.S. put out an alert saying any Jewish sol- Army and Air Force personnel-- “When you’re deployed to that area, dier who wanted to participate in the “infantry guys, aviators in flight suits, it’s very important for Jewish soldiers services should be afforded the oppor- medical folks”--civilian contractors, to have their needs met for the High and even a couple of non-Jews who Holidays.’’ tunity to go, she said.
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